RAYZE review: A hyper-paced aim racer full of music and fun

RAYZE is a beautiful blend of music and aim racer. The game is developed by DreamSkillz and published by Hyperstrange Studios and will be released on October 22, i.e., today, via Steam.

RAYZE is a hyper-paced aim training game filled with music and is played from a first-person perspective. It is an entry to a new genre called aim racer.

The mechanism is straightforward: players accelerate when they hit a target and decelerate when they miss one. The fastest route to the finish line gets them rewarded.

It's not as simple as it sounds, though.

RAYZE welcomes players to new casually hardcore hyper-paced aim racer

The gameplay is very basic and engaging yet filled with challenges. It has a retro-styled theme, and the background music is super energetic, making it an addictive experience for gamers.

RAYZE is not a generic aim trainer but one of the first entries to the aim racer genre.

Gameplay

The game’s main objective is to find the fastest way to reach the finishing line. To do so, players have to click on specific yellow patches called ‘warps’.

These warps, when clicked, provide acceleration, allowing them to travel faster.

First level of the game (Image via Rayze)

The more yellow warps the players hit, the more velocity is gained. However, it has to be kept in mind that they have to figure out the optimal spots to hit to maintain perfect momentum. This will help them reach the finish line faster, improving the ranks on the leaderboard (more covered later on).

The world of the game is divided into six sectors, and each sector has five levels. Each of these levels gets unlocked after finishing the previous level. As soon as all five levels are completed, the next sector of the world gets unlocked.

It is to be noted that the current level gets restarted after users hit any part of the environment except the target.

On the right-hand side, the cumulated score of every sector gets displayed, showing the ranks, both globally and among friends (more covered later on).

First sector of the game (Image via Rayze)

The controls of this game are very basic. The left mouse button activates the warp, the right mouse button applies the brake, and the middle mouse button, when pressed, restarts the level. There is a slider present to adjust the sensitivity of the player.

However, it would have been better to integrate importing sensitivity from other FPS titles like Valorant, Rainbow Six Siege, etc. There are also buttons dedicated to changing and looping the music tracks.

The starting speed of any level after hitting a warp is 120. Then the speed increases by 60 whenever a new warp is hit while gradually decreasing before the next warp is clicked on.

It is to be noted that the maximum combos players manage to perform, the maximum speed will be gained. This decreases the time taken to reach the finishing line, thereby improving the rank on the leaderboard.

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Similarly, failing to hit the correct target or hitting other parts of the environment will slow gamers down. The maximum speed gets determined after clicking on the finishing line, which remains constant until the remaining distance is covered.

The game has incorporated a leaderboard system that has two variations, global and friends. The words are pretty self-explanatory, as the worldwide leaderboard shows the player’s global rank while the rank under the friend’s tab will show the position among his friends in Steam.

Leaderboard of the game (Image via Rayze)

The movement in this game is very fluid. Selecting the optimal warp is very important as it helps players maintain the flow and momentum needed to reach the finishing line the fastest.

This helps to warm the players up since they have to focus on timing, accuracy, and decision-making simultaneously. It is like simulating a situation from an actual game, but with the twist of an added race.

A combo under progress (Image via Rayze)

Music

The music in this game sets an equal balance of hype and rhythm, allowing users to focus and enjoy at the same time. While this title has a touch of casualness, it can become a hardcore obsession any day.

The electronic soundtracks enhance the adrenaline rush, dopamine pump, and electronic pulse beating of the players, making them go RAYZE!

The music in the game is very energetic. Most soundtracks are inspired by discography, synth-wave, chiptune, etc. The tracks are in total sync with the world's levels and provide a refreshing experience to gamers.

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All the soundtracks are continuously played in the form of a playlist. There is also the option of playing in a loop or choosing the next one on the list. A YouTube safe option is also available in the settings. When checked, the game will play copyright-free soundtracks which will help streamers not get copyright claims.

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Interactive credits scene

One thing that has managed to catch attention is the interactive credit scene. Other games generally show all the people and organizations associated with the development in a scrolling format and nothing else. This title also displays the same but allows players to interact with the scene.

Players can click on these orange warps, helping them get used to the speed and flow of the game. It can be compared to a free-roam mechanic of any open-world game.

This free-roam kind of feature goes non-stop unless users fail to click on the warp and click on some other part of the environment.

RAYZE brings a fresh taste to the aim training genre

RAYZE has brought quite a versatile feel to the aim training genre. As their name suggests, other aim trainers aim to improve the mechanical skill of players through their straightforward tasks.

On the other hand, this game makes the players think they are in a race and need to click on the correct targets at the right time to reach the finishing line the fastest. This, in turn, improves the players’ timing, accuracy, and decision-making that might come in handy in an actual competitive shooter game.